


Rivals in Love

by toasty_coconut



Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: F/F, Humor, light fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:07:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25252129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toasty_coconut/pseuds/toasty_coconut
Summary: After getting word that Diana Cavendish might be in love, Wangari takes it upon herself to dig deeper into this potential scoop. Upon interviewing Atsuko Kagari for the story, an entire can of worms is opened.
Relationships: Diana Cavendish/Atsuko "Akko" Kagari
Comments: 16
Kudos: 330





	Rivals in Love

“Yo, Akko! You got a sec?”

Akko stopped in her tracks as the sound of Wangari’s booming voice called out to her from the other end of the hallway. She turned around, watching as Luna Nova’s boisterous commentator approached her—Joanna and Kimberly following close behind.

“Hey, Wangari! What’s up?”

“I just wanted to ask you a couple of questions for a story LNN is developing.”

“What kind of story?”

“A real juicy one!” Wangari grinned, twirling the skull-topped microphone in her hand. “You see, there’s been talk going around that Diana Cavendish has been acting… different lately.”

“Diana?” Akko’s brows furrowed. “Really?”

“That’s right! And I figured that since the two of you are pretty good pals that it’d be the perfect place to start!” Wangari pushed her microphone in Akko’s face. “So, what do you have for us? Anything exciting? Jaw-dropping? Mind-blowing?”

“Uh. No. Nothing like that,” Akko hesitated, pushing the microphone away with a frown. “I didn’t even know something was up with Diana. Is she okay?”

“That’s just it! If my sources are correct, then Diana might be better than okay.” Wangari snickered, leaning in close to Akko and saying in a hushed tone, “In fact, everyone’s been saying that they think she might be in love.”

“Oh… _Oh!_ ” Akko responded, suddenly realizing what Wangari was saying with the force equivalent to being hit by a truck. “Well… uh… In love, huh?” She stammered, rocking back on her heels. “That’s funny. I don’t know anything about that. Nope. Definitely not.”

That was a lie.

She knew that was a lie. How did she know that was a lie? Well, maybe Diana officially being her girlfriend for the past 3 weeks (and 4 days, not that Akko was counting) had something to do with it. Secret girlfriend, that was.

Even though they had been together for 3 weeks (plus 4 days and 7 hours—again, not that Akko was counting), they hadn’t actually told many people yet. Diana had insisted on keeping their relationship quiet for the time being while she ‘figured things out’.

The only ones who knew about it were Sucy and Lotte, because Akko had to tell _someone_ that she was dating the prettiest, smartest, most beautiful girl in all of Luna Nova. But it was no big deal since Akko made them pinky promise to keep it a secret (Lotte was good with secrets and Sucy said she ‘didn’t care’). Outside of those two, not even Hannah and Barbara knew yet, and for the foreseeable future they had planned to keep it that way.

“I mean, how could someone like Diana be in love, anyways?” Akko rattled on, hoping she’d be smooth enough to throw Wangari off of her scent trail. “She has more important things to worry about like books and money and, uh, noble things.”

“And that’s why this could be the biggest scoop LNN has dug up in a while!” Wangari pressed, taking no notice of Akko’s newly acquired skittishness. “Just think— _Diana Cavendish: Withdrawn Noble Heiress Finds True Love While Attending Luna Nova_. Readers would eat it up!”

“Y-yeah… but…” Akko winced at the title’s implications, then she huffed, puffing out her chest. “Who are your sources, anyway?! It’s not like Diana’s being obvious or—” She paused, catching her words in her mouth. “I mean… It’s not like she _talks_ about dating anyone or anything!”

“Hey, don’t shoot the messenger,” Wangari defended, holding up a hand. “I’ve had people giving me tips on all kinds of little things. Like, I heard Diana’s been sneaking out of her dorm at night and disappearing for a few hours at a time. There’s even word going around that she got a cellphone and has actually been texting on it, despite school regulations.” She shrugged. “C’mon, Akko. Obviously something’s up.”

“W-well, maybe she’s up late studying!” Akko deflected. “And… she’s got a lot of stuff going on at home so…”

“I guess so,” Wangari mused, swaying her head from side to side. “But that’s a way less interesting story to run. Love is what’s gonna get people reading, not late night study sessions.” She sighed, waving Akko off and stepped past her. “Anyways, if you’ve got nothing for me, that’s fine. I’ll go ask someone else about Diana’s mystery boyfriend.”

Akko froze up. “ _Boy_ friend?”

Wangari stopped in her tracks, arching a brow. “Hello? Have you not been listening to our conversation? If Diana’s in love then she’s probably got a boyfriend,” she explained as a smirk began to take shape on her face. “Actually, now that I’m bringing it up, I almost forgot the most interesting part of this whole thing...”

“What?”

Wangari leaned in closer, cupping a hand to her mouth. “Well, you know how the Cavendish and Hanbridge families go way back, right?” she whispered and Akko nodded. “See, the rumor mill has been turning, and a lot of people are speculating that Diana might be canoodling with the one and only Mr. Andrew Hanbridge himself.”

It took a moment for the gears in Akko’s head to begin turning. Only after her brain realized that what her ears heard was not actually a mistake, she gawked. “Andrew!?” she choked. “People think Diana’s dating _Andrew_!?”

“That’s what I’m hearing.”

“But… that…” Akko struggled to find the right words. Of course Diana wasn’t dating Andrew! Diana was dating _her_! Why would people even think that in the first place?! “There’s no way she’d date someone like him!”

“Oh?” Wangari raised a brow. “And what makes you so sure?”

“Because! I just… I just know she wouldn’t, okay!?” Akko retorted, feeling a heat begin to burn in her cheeks. “Sure, maybe Andrew’s all smart, and rich, and handsome. But I bet that whoever Diana _is_ dating is way nicer, way smarter, and way better looking than he is.” She paused. “If Diana’s dating someone at all, that is. Which she’s not, by the way.”

“Hm. That so? I thought you were friends with Andrew?” Wangari hummed, exchanging suspicious glances with Kimberly and Joanna. “You really don’t think he has any interest in Diana?”

“I mean, yeah! He and I are like bros! It’s just…” Akko groaned, rubbing her face. “Look, I know Andrew and Diana aren’t dating each other, okay? Last I checked, they hated each other’s guts. So don’t go running fake stories about Diana’s love life! Cause… she doesn’t have one! Period!”

Feeling very satisfied with her well-thought out and ultra convincing argument, Akko turned on her heel and began marching down the hall. She didn’t see Wangari grin and excitedly wave an arm at her.

“Thanks for your help, Froggo!”

* * *

The cafeteria was strangely quiet as Diana took her seat alongside Hannah and Barbara at their usual table. The two had been acting odd all morning—their gazes fixated on Diana with a mix of confusion and pity. It was starting to become tiresome.

“Girls, please,” Diana sighed, putting her teacup down. “I’d appreciate it if you stopped staring at me as though I’d sprouted another head.” The two jumped as Diana’s cold stare drilled into them. “Is there something wrong?”

“No, uh…” Hannah started, eyes shifting nervously around the cafeteria. “Nothing’s wrong… It’s just…”

Barbara swallowed, lowering her voice. “Have you read the latest issue of LNN?”

Diana raised a brow. “No, I haven’t.”

Hannah winced, reaching into her bag and pulling out a rolled up newspaper. “Then maybe you should…”

Diana took the paper out of Hannah’s hands. Her eyes scanned across the front page before coming to a dead stop. Her body ran cold as she read the headline. She gritted her teeth.

“ _Atsuko…_ ”

* * *

“—so that’s when I did a backflip and—”

“No, you didn’t.”

“Sucy!” Akko pouted, slouching forward on her bed. “I was just getting to the best part!”

“Akko, you’re capable of a lot of things—a lot of dumb things—but you’re not capable of doing a backflip on a broom,” Sucy droned, paying closer attention to the mushrooms on her desk than she was to the supposed ‘true story’ her roommate was telling. “You’re lying.”

Akko bit her lip. “W-well…”

The door to the red team’s dorm room slammed open and all three witches jumped. When they turned, they saw a very angry Diana Cavendish standing with a folded newspaper clenched in her hand.

“Akko!” she hissed, storming over to the bunk bed.

Akko straightened out, eyes widening. “D-Diana!?” 

“Would you like to tell me what this is?” Diana snapped, holding out the crumpled issue of LNN for Akko to see.

“It…” Akko started, raising a brow, “looks like a newspaper.”

“ _Read it_.”

Akko squinted, leaning forward as her eyes scanned across the paper’s front page. Then her heart stopped and the color drained from her face. “....Oh no.”

“What have you done?” Diana glowered, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

“I didn’t think she’d take it like that!” Akko whined, putting her hands to her head in dismay as the newspaper fell into her lap.

“Well, she certainly did, didn’t she?”

“Uhm… Pardon my interruption but…” Lotte spoke up, timidly shifting from the spot where she sat on Sucy’s bed, “is something wrong?”

“It’s a total disaster, Lotte!” Akko lamented, throwing the paper in her direction.

Lotte blinked, looking down at the newspaper in her hand. Sucy curiously hovered over her to see what all of the commotion was about. Once they laid eyes on the paper’s front page headline, it became obvious.

**_DIANA CAVENDISH AND ATSUKO KAGARI: RIVALS IN LOVE_ **

_There’s no denying that Diana Cavendish has become one of Luna Nova’s top students. Receiving the honor of Moonlit Witch, claiming victory in the 2017 Broom Relay Race, and having some of the highest marks in the school’s history, it’s no wonder she’s the talk of the campus. Compared to her, the bumbling Atsuko Kagari isn’t much to look at—though she claims to be Cavendish’s rival regardless. But could this supposed rivalry have more to it than meets the eye?_

_Luna Nova’s rumor mill has been turning lately, and claims have been popping up all over the place that the Cavendish heiress might be hiding a secret romance. Everything from sneaking away from her dorm room late at night to using a forbidden cellphone on campus seems to suggest that might be the case. With the Cavendish and Hanbridge families holding a history that dates back hundreds of years, many speculate that Diana may be meeting up with the Hanbridge son, Andrew, in romantic privacy._

_We spoke with Kagari to get her take on the matter, and when the topic of Hanbridge came up, she was quick to fly into a jealous rage. Kagari stated that there was “no way that [Cavendish] would date someone like [Hanbridge].” The tension was clear, and when pressed further on the topic, she claimed that the two heirs “hated each other’s guts.” But in the same breath, she was quick to state that she viewed Hanbridge as being “smart, rich, and handsome.” Is it possible that Kagari sees Andrew Hanbridge as being more than her self-proclaimed “bro”?_

_Here at LNN, we wanted to dig to the bottom of this new development and chose to interview Kagari’s roommates, Lotte Jansson and Sucy Manbavaran. When asked about Kagari’s relationship with Hanbridge, the two filled LNN in on an occasion where the three attended a party together at the Hanbridge estate in Andrew’s honor. Allegedly, Hanbridge fell head over heels for Kagari during the event._

_“It was amusing to watch,” Manbavaran told LNN. “He was completely infatuated and Akko was in total distress. I’m never going to forget the look on her face when he said he wanted to kiss her.”_

_“Truthfully, I don’t really remember much about that night,” Jansson said. “I sort of had my own problems to worry about. But, yeah, Andrew did seem pretty crazy about Akko, I guess. I know they’re really close now and that’s all in the past, though.”_

_Obviously there’s more to Andrew Hanbridge and Atsuko Kagari than meets the eye. Who would have known that the two had a secret Cinderella story going on behind the back of Diana Cavendish? It’s no wonder that Kagari flew into a rage when it was suggested that the man who professed his love to her could be dating someone else._

_Does this mean that the rivalry between Diana Cavendish and Atsuko Kagari goes beyond the hallways of Luna Nova? Are they now rivals in the love department as well? Will Kagari attempt to win back the man who was formerly in love with her? LNN will continue to follow this story as it develops, so stay tuned!_

“Well,” Lotte started hesitantly, putting down the paper, “I guess that explains why LNN was asking us all of those questions the other day...”

“This is more interesting than I thought,” Sucy snickered with a toothy grin.

“You guys!” Akko groaned. “Why didn’t you tell me!?”

“Wangari said she’d already spoken to you, so I figured you knew,” Lotte defended, frowning. “I had no idea this was the type of article she was writing.”

“Your big mouth is really blowing up in your face, Akko,” Sucy cackled, returning to the mushrooms on her desk.

“This is serious!” Akko barked, pulling at the ends of her hair. “Now everyone thinks Diana and I are ‘rivals in love’, or whatever!”

“Technically you are,” Sucy stated flatly. Akko and Diana both shot her unamused looks and she shrugged. “What?”

Diana sighed, rubbing her temples. “Sucy has a point, Akko,” she started, shifting her tired gaze onto her girlfriend. “You need to be careful about what you say, especially around people like the journalism club.”

“Hey, it’s not my fault!” Akko shot back, clenching her fists in her lap. “She was asking me all kinds of questions about you and your love life ‘cause of rumors or something! I was trying to dispel them, but then she said they all thought you were dating Andrew and… well…” She ran her hands down her face. “You’re the one who wants to keep our relationship a secret, anyways! I was just trying to do that and prevent them from gossiping about you!”

Diana bit her lip, watching Akko for a long moment before letting out a restrained breath. “...I know. It’s not your fault,” she agreed, sitting down beside Akko on the bottom bunk. “I suppose I should have foreseen something like this happening.” She frowned. “I apologize for sounding so accusatory.”

“It’s okay, I get it,” Akko sighed with a wave of her hand. “This whole thing is just kinda crazy.”

“Yes, it is.”

“Why don’t you just tell Wangari the truth?” Lotte suggested. “About you guys not being in a love feud, I mean.”

Akko cocked a brow. “You think she’d believe us?”

Lotte shrugged. “It’s worth a shot, isn’t it?”

“I suppose,” Diana mused, putting a hand to her chin. “We just need to tread carefully. If we say too much it could reveal the actual nature of our relationship.”

“Would that really be the _worst_ thing, though?” Akko muttered aside.

“We’ve been over this, Akko,” Diana reminded. “If that information were to get out at Luna Nova then it would inevitably find its way back to my family.” She averted her gaze. “I’m… not certain I’m ready to deal with that just yet.”

One of the biggest reasons why Akko and Diana had chosen to keep their relationship on the downlow was because of potential word getting back to the rest of the Cavendish family. Akko had managed to leave a less than favorable impression on Daryl, her daughters, and the staff the last time she had visited the manor. Diana was unsure as to how they would react upon hearing the news that she was now involved in a more intimate relationship with said girl.

Word had a way of spreading quickly around Luna Nova, and she knew the news would find its way back to Wedinburgh somehow. Truthfully, Diana just wanted to enjoy the beginning of their relationship in privacy for a little while longer before dealing with the prying eyes of other students and unwanted questions from her stuck-in-their-ways family.

Akko could understand that, and she respected it—but it didn’t make wanting to go public with their relationship status any easier. Deep down, she just wanted to shout, ‘Look, world! I, Atsuko Kagari, am dating the drop-dead gorgeous, super smart, ultra kind Diana Cavendish! And there’s nothing you can do about it!’

Or maybe just holding her hand in the cafeteria would be a good start.

But, alas...

Akko sighed, rubbing her head. “Yeah, I know.”

Diana put a hand on Akko’s shoulder, offering her a reassuring smile. “For now, why don’t we focus on what, exactly, we want to tell the journalism club?”

* * *

“Well, well, well! If it isn’t my two favorite people!” Wangari grinned, throwing her feet up on the desk that sat in the center of the journalism club’s office. Kimberly and Joanna stood loyally behind her. “You come here to give me the latest scoop on your love triangle with Andrew Hanbridge?”

Akko and Diana stood side-by-side in the doorway. Akko shifted her weight nervously between her feet. They had rehearsed this over and over again. They both knew exactly what they wanted to say. Diana had even compiled a list of potential questions Wangari might shoot at them and developed solid answers. As long as they stuck to the script, nothing would go wrong.

And yet, a bubbling pit of nerves brewed in Akko’s core, because if something _could_ go wrong then it _would_ go wrong when it came to her. She knew her luck. She was certain she was going to bite her tongue and mess this whole thing up. The last thing she wanted was to disappoint Diana and blow their cover in front of the journalism club.

Diana, however, remained cool and collected. Her hands were folded behind her back as she carried herself with her usual grace and poise befitting of a Cavendish. “Actually, we have come to put a stop to these baseless rumors,” she declared, her gaze cold and focused on Wangari. “What you’re publishing in LNN is pure hearsay. There is no ‘love triangle’ between myself, Akko, and Mr. Hanbridge.”

“Oh yeah?” Wangari doubted. “Cause we only reported the words that came right out of the mouths of Akko and her friends.”

“You took what we said totally out of context!” Akko growled, her temper flaring and getting the better of her. “I wasn’t saying that I was jealous of Diana!”

“That’s what it sounded like to me, though.”

“It wasn’t!”

“Wangari,” Diana interrupted, stepping in before Akko could take things any further. “I’m sure you understand that LNN is respected among students and staff at Luna Nova.” She narrowed her eyes. “Do you really want dribble like this painting your headlines? Do you even have proof?”

“The quotes I got felt like pretty solid evidence to me.” Wangari shrugged, Kimberly and Joanna both nodding in agreement.

“I would be inclined to disagree,” Diana retorted coolly.

“Prove it, then.”

Diana furrowed her brows. “How so?”

“Just by explaining a few things,” Wangari started, pulling her feet off of her desk and leaning forward. “For starters, why’ve you been sneaking out of your dorm room at night, Diana?”

“I haven’t been sneaking,” Diana dismissed with a roll of her eyes. “I’ve been spending my evenings in the library, preparing for midterms. If you ask the librarian, I’m sure she’ll confirm for you.”

Well, that was true. At least, mostly true. Akko knew that Diana had, in fact, been pulling late night study sessions at the library because she had been there studying with her. Though, Akko also knew that when the librarian’s attention was elsewhere that they would do a thing or two _other_ than studying.

Like kissing.

Mostly kissing.

Like, probably 40% studying and 60% kissing.

Or maybe more like 30% studying and 70% kissing. Akko had never really been good with numbers. Point was, Akko knew that Diana wasn’t about to let Wangari know the truth behind what she was actually spending most of her late nights in the library doing.

Wangari hummed, unimpressed. “Okay, then what about the claims of you using a cellphone, even though they’re against school policy?” She whipped out her own phone, waving it in her hand. “I mean, everyone does it, but why hide something like that?”

“I have special permission from Professor Finnelan to have a cellphone on campus due to family matters,” Diana explained, turning her nose up. “I never kept it a secret, I simply chose not to vocalize it, either. I would suggest you do the same, Wangari.”

Wangari sneered at her, and Akko held back a snicker. Once again, it wasn’t like Diana was lying. Phones weren’t allowed on the Luna Nova campus, but it became a loosely enforced rule after Professor Croix began her modern magic classes. Now pretty much everyone used them in secret. Diana had always been a stickler for rules, though, and after the incident at the Cavendish manor the year prior, was given special permission by Professor Finnelan to keep a phone on campus in case of a family emergency.

 _But_ Akko also knew that Diana would send her the occasional text message asking how her day was going, or telling her where and when their next secret meetup would be, or simply to say that she loved her (those were Akko’s favorite). So, to say that she was using it for familial purposes only would be a bit of a white lie.

Diana was good at this.

“So, Akko,” Wangari pipped up, causing Akko to jump at the sudden attention. “What’s all this I heard about Andrew lusting after you during a party at the Hanbridge Estate last fall?”

Akko’s heart leapt into her throat. Now all eyes in the room were on her, including Diana’s. She knew that Wangari would ask about this. They had rehearsed this. She just needed to play it cool, exactly like Diana did. Everything would be just fine.

“He… he wasn’t lusting!” Akko managed, curling her hands into fists at her sides. “It was a stupid cupid bee that Sucy let loose! It stung Andrew and he got… infatuated with me, I guess.” Wangari narrowed her gaze suspiciously, and Akko growled, “But, he wasn’t the only one! Diana also—”

“Yes, I _also_ attended that party, and can confirm Akko’s claims of a cupid bee’s presence,” Diana interjected, stopping Akko before she could take that sentence any further. “Mr. Hanbridge’s feelings were merely an unfortunate side effect of the sting.”

“Oh, now we’re talking.” Wangari beamed, slamming her hands on her desk. “I didn’t know you were at that party, too, Diana? How did seeing Andrew fall so hard for Akko make you feel?”

“Excuse me?” Diana’s eyes widened. “I believe you’re missing the point. I was attempting to kill the bee. I had no interest in—”

“Attempting to kill the bee because seeing the love of your life head over heels for another girl was too much for your heart to bear?” Wangari questioned, looking to Kimberly. “Write that down.”

“Do _not_ write that down,” Diana snapped. Kimberly ignored her and began scribbling away on her notepad.

“Akko, how did it feel to have Andrew crazy in love with you?” Wangari prodded, leaning further over her desk. “Was it a moment you’d always dreamt of?”

Akko’s throat ran dry. “O-of course not! I barely even knew him! It was weird!”

“Funny how love works, isn’t it?” Wangari mused, her grin growing wider. “I’ll bet you’ve been yearning for things to go back to the way they were that night, huh? Does your heart burn with a heated rage whenever you think about Diana and Andrew together?”

“No!” Akko fumed, her temper starting to bubble once more. “And I don’t yearn!”

“Andrew and I are not together, Wangari,” Diana sighed, putting a hand to her forehead.

Wangari ignored her, instead focusing on Akko alone. “Never? You’ve never yearned?”

Akko’s face flushed bright red. “Er… Well…” Things had started really well, but now it felt like it was all falling apart in the blink of an eye. They had to get back on topic before she said something she’d regret. “Why is that important?! Can’t we go back to all that other stuff you wrote about?!”

“Sounds to me like you’re hiding something, Froggo.” Wangari accused with a mischievous smirk.

“I’m not!”

“You are. It’s written all over your face.” Wangari gasped, putting her hands to her cheeks. “Is Andrew a two-timer? Is he dating the _both_ of you at once?”

“What?!” Akko gaped. “No!”

“That’s blasphemous!” Diana denounced.

“Then who is he dating?” Wangari pressed, now holding her mic out, right in Akko’s face.

“N-neither of us!” Akko attempted to defend.

This was bad. Akko could feel herself starting to crack under the hungry stares of the journalism club. Her knees were shaking and she could practically feel the sweat beginning to trickle down her forehead. She needed to stay cool and calm like Diana, but she wasn’t nearly as collected as she was under pressure.

“Sounds like we’ve got a heated mystery on our hands!” Wangari exulted, looking to her club members. “Kimberly! Joanna! I’ve got our next headline— _Akko and Diana’s Love War: The Mystery of Who Andrew Hanbridge is Really Dating!_ People will eat it up!”

Akko’s ears were ringing and her head was spinning. They had come to the journalism club to make this situation better, but somehow they had only made it worse. Diana was doing such a good job of desculating the rumors, but then Akko had to go and open her big mouth and mess it all up. Now everyone was going to think Andrew was some two-timer involved with them both. She had to say something to fix it, but any words she found were stuck in her throat.

Don’t say something dumb.

Don’t say something dumb.

Don’t say something dumb!

“We’re not—!”

That was when Diana stormed past her like a hurricane. “By the Nine, Wangari!” she snapped, stepping forward and slamming her hands down on the desk at the center of the room. Wangari jumped in alarm, her eyes meeting Diana’s icey ones that tore into her like knives. “Akko and I are not dating Andrew because we are dating _each other_.”

The silence that filled the room was deafening.

Akko’s jaw dropped, the noise that escaped her mouth sounding something like a hoarse squeak. This seemed to grab Diana’s attention, and she went as pale as a sheet upon realizing what she had said in the heat of the moment.

Wangari could only stare for what felt like hours. Akko wasn’t sure what happened next as the white flash of Joanna’s camera blinded her.

* * *

“I’m amazed that it’s only 9 AM, considering how exhausted I already am,” Diana sighed, taking a seat beside Akko in the cafeteria.

All eyes were on them, that much was obvious. Ever since the journalism club put out the latest issue of LNN, the stares and whispers behind Akko and Diana’s backs just kept on coming. It had only been a day since ‘ _Rivals In Love: Diana Cavendish and Atsuko Kagari Tell All About Their Secret Romance’_ was shamelessly plastered all over Luna Nova, but it felt like an eternity.

Following Diana’s ‘lovesick meltdown’ in the office of the journalism club (their words, not Akko’s), they had quickly gotten to work on their next front page headline—much to the chagrin of both Akko and Diana. So, within 24 hours, pretty much the whole school knew that the two former ‘love rivals’ were officially an item.

“You’re getting asked lots of questions, too, huh?” Akko chuckled.

Diana closed her eyes, shaking her head. “More than I can count.”

“Sorry.” Akko offered her a lopsided smile, scratching her cheek. “It feels like this whole mess started because of my slipup.”

“Nonsense,” Diana dismissed, lifting her teacup and taking a sip. “Yours was nothing compared to mine.”

“You always have to show me up, don’t you, Diana?” Akko smirked, resting her chin on her fist.

“Not intentionally.”

She supposed that much was true. When Akko had asked Diana about the confession after they had parted ways with the journalism club, the Cavendish heiress had been at a complete loss for words.

 _‘I don’t know what came over me,’_ Diana had managed disbelievingly. _‘I just… snapped.’_

She had ultimately chalked it up to a mix of frustration, nerves, and exhaustion. Akko supposed she could live with that explanation. She knew that Diana had been beating herself up over it, though. A Cavendish never ‘slipped up’. Something like that was simply unheard of. Now, as a result, the entire school knew their secret.

Akko had assured her time and time again that it wasn’t a big deal—that it had to get out eventually anyways. But that didn’t keep Diana from feeling any less foolish. Akko was sure her girlfriend must have been bracing herself for whatever unwanted comments would come next from her family back home.

Akko frowned. “You don’t think your family’s gonna be too mad, do you?”

Diana shook her head. “I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. Like you said before, it had to happen eventually, anyways,” she assured, placing her teacup down. “There isn’t any point in dwelling on what can’t be helped.”

“I guess so,” Akko murmured, pushing around the eggs on her plate with her fork. “I still feel bad, though. I know this isn’t exactly how you wanted everyone to find out. I should have kept my mouth shut to begin with.”

“It’s fine, Akko. Really,” Diana assured gently, scooting closer to her. “Must I remind you again that I should have kept my own mouth shut, too? Or are you so embarrassed by it that you’ve blocked it out of your memory entirely?”

Diana was smiling that type of smile that made Akko’s heart do a weird little dance in her chest. She laughed lightly, teasingly waving a fork at her. “No way. I’m gonna hang onto that memory till I’m in my grave.” She grinned devilishly. “Though, maybe my bad habits are rubbing off on you? I bet that’s why you cracked.”

“Perhaps.”

Akko laughed again, and that seemed to satisfy Diana enough to let her continue sipping away at her tea. “But seriously,” Akko started, looking around the cafeteria at all of the students who remained staring and gossiping among themselves, “everybody knows.” She looked to Diana again, raising a brow. “Now what?”

Diana paused, considering Akko’s words for a second. Then she let out a breath, placing her cup down on its saucer. A smile graced her lips as she placed her hand atop Akko’s and gripped it tightly.

“I suppose we’ll just have to figure that out.”

* * *

_End._

**Author's Note:**

> Somewhere in Appleton Academy, Andrew Hanbridge is sneezing.


End file.
